Ashton Agar, Usman Khawaja recalled as Australia name playing XI for Bangladesh Test

Usman Khwaja will be playing a competitive game for the first time since January.

What's the story?

Staying true to their tradition of naming their playing XI well ahead of the day of the match, Australia has confirmed their team which will take on Bangladesh in the first of the two Tests which will begin on Sunday.

The background

Australia and Bangladesh are set to face off against each other in a bilateral series for the first time in nearly six years with the tour originally scheduled for October 2015 getting postponed following a terrorist attack in the capital city of Dhaka which claimed the lives of 20 foreign nationals.

The pay dispute between Cricket Australia and the Australian Cricketers Association (ACA) had cast doubt on this tour as well but timely intervention meant that the two-Test series was finally given the all-clear.

The details

Australia head into the series without playing any competitive match since landing in Bangladesh over a week ago as the only warm-up fixture was called off following a heavy downpour.

Australia's terrible record in the Indian subcontinent has meant that the Bangladesh camp is confident that they can give the visitors a run for their money with star all-rounder Shakib-al-Hasan even claiming that the home side are targeting a clean sweep.

Steven Smith's side gave a good account of themselves against a strong Indian side in their own backyard earlier this year and are well prepared for the tour with the focus on spin as expected with Nathan Lyon and Ashton Agar as the recognised spinners while Glenn Maxwell can also provide the cover with his off-spinners.